For You
by beaglelvr93
Summary: Booth walks into Brennan's office with a black eye. He won't tell her what happened, and she starts to get worried at his edgy behavior. BB-all-the-way fluff. Sully appears. ONESHOT.


A quick shot that popped into my head and wouldn't go away. Enjoy!

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Temperance Brennan sat in her apartment, waiting for her boyfriend to come home. She jumped up when she heard the door open. He walked in and gave her a quick kiss.

"Since when am I ever home before you?" She asked.

"I had something to do." He replied. That's when she saw his bruised hand.

"Sully! What did you do to your hand?" She asked, picking it up to examine it. _It's not broken. _She concluded. _But whatever he hit, he hit it hard._

"I told you, there was something I had to do." He said distractedly, waving her off. Letting the subject drop, Brennan followed him to her bedroom where she crawled into bed. A few minutes later, Sully came out of the bathroom, hand bandaged, and got into bed with her. They both fell asleep almost immediately.

------

The next morning, Brennan got up early. Making herself a quick cup of coffee, she headed to work. Glad to have the lab to herself for a few hours, she started in on some paperwork that had been piling up on her desk. An hour after she sat down, her partner strolled into her office, his shoulders slumped as if in defeat. When she looked up, she gasped.

Booth was sporting a magnificent black eye. It was swollen and looked extremely painful.

"Booth. . . what happened?" She asked, slightly in shock. He shrugged, hands in his pockets. Brennan got up from behind her desk and went to stand in front of him. Reaching up, she lightly traced the bruise with her thumb, earning a slight whimper from her partner.

"Sorry." She whispered, wincing as she examined his eye. "What happened?" He pulled back slightly.

"Wanna get breakfast?" He asked.

"I can't. I have to catch up on this paperwork or Cam's gonna skin me alive. And don't change the subject!"

"It was nothing, Bones." He insisted. Refusing to back down, she countered,

"That bruise is from a fist, Booth. Who did this to you?"

"I told you, it was-"

"Tempe!" Came Sully's voice. He walked into her office and spotted the two of them, jealousy immediately flaring up at how close they were standing. He sent a look at Booth, who stepped back from Brennan and nodded slightly. Tempe didn't miss the exchange.

"Come on, I'm taking you to breakfast." Sully said, ignoring Booth.

"I have work to do, Sully."

"Come on, Tempe!" Sully begged. Booth made to leave, but a pleading look from Brennan made him wait.

"I can't, Sully. I'll see you for lunch, alright?" Sighing, Sully leaned over to kiss her. She turned her head at the last second so that he kissed her cheek. Confused by her actions, Sully shrugged and started back out of her office. Before he was out the door, he turned to Booth.

"Remember what we talked about?" Booth looked up at him, nodding. Brennan could see the pure defeat in his eyes. Her mouth dropped open as she put it all together.

"Did Sully do this to you?" She asked as soon as he was out of earshot.

"Bones, please just drop it." He dropped onto her couch with a sigh, closing his eyes and then wincing slightly as his black one hurt. She moved to sit beside him. Placing a hand on his arm, she said in her most comforting voice,

"Alright. I'll drop it. But I'm going to find out who did this to you, and I'd rather just hear it from you." Booth nodded noncomitally. Standing up, she held out her hand to him. He looked at it sullenly.

"Come on. Let's go to breakfast." Booth took her hand, surprised, as she helped him up.

"I thought you were busy."

"It can wait." She said, grabbing her coat.

------

They sat in their booth at the diner, Booth picking at his food while Brennan watched him worridly. After a few more minutes, she couldn't take it any longer.

"Ok. Seriously, Booth. Tell me what's wrong." She said, putting down her fork and staring intently at him. He sighed, putting down his fork as well.

"Can we get out of here?" He asked. At her look, he added, "I'll talk. But not here." She nodded, throwing some bills on the table and heading out to the car. Taking his keys, she waited until he was in the passanger's seat before starting the engine and heading off. They both knew where she was going even though she never voiced it out loud.

She pulled up to the park and they both got out. Walking silently side by side, they made their way to their bench.

It was under a beautiful maple tree. As it was fall, the leaves drifting down around them were a mix of yellows, reds and oranges. Sitting side by side, shoulder to shoulder, Booth started to talk.

"It was Sully." Brennan gasped, remembering how bad Sully's hand was and how hard he must have punched him. She tried to talk but Booth shushed her with a look. "Just let me get this out."

"I was in my office working on the paperwork for the McDunn case. Sully came in and started asking my all these questions. Apparently he thinks I'm moving in on his girl." He stopped for a weak smile. "He asked how I felt about you." Booth heard Brennan's breath hitch.

"I said you were my partner. That you were my best friend. My family. He kept insisting that there was more to it than that. He. . ." Booth clenched his teeth and closed his eyes. "He brought up the Gravedigger and Kenton. I-I told him that I'd do anything to protect you, which I would. But he kept saying I was trying to steal you from him." _More like the other way around. . . _they both thought.

"He got mad when I kept denying, and started yelling that he wasn't going to let me near you anymore. That he didn't like how close I stood to you, how close we were. I got up to just walk away and he punched me. He told me to stay away from you. I walked away from him. That's it."

"Why?" Brennan asked, confusion in her eyes.

"Why what?"

"Why didn't you defend yourself? Why did you, a man who never gives up a fight, walk away?"

"For you." He whispered.

"Me?"

Sighing, Booth explained. "You're happy with him. And he's right. I'm just getting in the way. You obviously love him, and if I need to just walk away for that, I will." He said, eyes on the ground.

Brennan put a finger under his chin and tilted it to face her just as he had done so long ago. With a smile, she said, "Who are you to tell me who I love?" His eyes widened.

"You don't-" He was cut off by her lips on his – a barely there kiss that conveyed so much.

"What are you doing?" He asked, pulling back.

"Something I should have done along time ago." She murmured. Looking him strait in the eye she continued, "It takes a much stronger man to walk away from a fight. The fact that you would take this-" She traced his eye with her thumb again, ever so lightly, "For me. . . It just made me realize. I've loved you all along. Maybe not in the same way. . . I loved you as a friend at first, then as part of my family. . . but _this." _She stopped at a loss for words.

"Then why the hell didn't you say anything? Why did you go out with him?"

"I. . . I wasn't ready." She admitted. Standing up suddenly, she offered him her hand for the second time that day. He took it, looking at her questioningly. She replied by giving him a quick kiss and walking towards the car. She turned back, a teasing glint in her eye.

"You coming? I've got lunch plans to cancel."


End file.
